Blue Is My Heart
by iloveromance
Summary: After Eddie is "cured" of his depression by a dog psychiatrist, the Crane family experiences their own bout of sadness. But Niles is concerned when Daphne's sadness lingers much longer than it should. AU continuation of "Death and the Dog"


As the Crane family (and Roz) watched in amazement, Eddie (who had earlier been diagnosed with depression by Dr. Shaw) played with his doll.

"Look at that! He's happy again!" Martin exclaimed.

Daphne sighed. "I wish I were a dog. All it takes is a little toy to make him happy."

"Oh, I'm afraid we're more complex than that, Daphne." Frasier said. "We know for whom the bell tolls!"

At that moment, a bell sounded, startling them all.

"Did anyone else hear that?" Martin asked as he looked around.

But everyone simply looked around in confusion, none of them willing to admit that they may or may not have heard a sound.

And then Daphne remembered. "Oh! The biscuits!"

"Daphne..." Frasier mused. "By _biscuits _do you mean cookies?"

"That's right."

As she rose from her chair, everyone began to follow her into the kitchen. Minutes later they were all seated at the table, enjoying their cookies, ice cream and milk."

"These are great, Daphne!" Martin exclaimed, finishing off another cookie.

Daphne, however, was unconvinced of his sincerity. "That's nice of you to say, Mr. Crane but you don't have to pretend to like me cooking just because of the sadness that's lingering around here."

"What? No! I really mean it!" Martin insisted. "These are great!"

Watching as he dunked his cookie in his glass of milk, Daphne sighed and rose from the table. "Excuse me."

"Daphne, really! I-."

But she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the rest of the Cranes (and Roz) completely perplexed.

"What's with her?" Martin asked. "I really do like these cookies! Honest!" He reached for another and began to scoop out more ice cream into his bowl.

Niles scoffed. "I believe you, Dad. But can you blame her? You haven't exactly been thrilled with her cooking!"

"Oh and you have? Come on, Niles! The only reason you're even saying that is because you're _in love with her_!" Martin hissed.

Niles clinched his teeth in an attempt to shut up his father, but as usual, Martin was unrelenting. Finally he took a deep breath and sighed. "Dad... I'm just trying to-."

"I know what you're trying to do! And you know what? Just forget it! Forget you all! You and Frasier thought that Dr. Shaw was a damn joke earlier! Well it's not funny and the joke's on you!"

"Dad-."

"Aw, just forget it, Fras! I just wanted to relax and enjoy myself now that Eddie's back to normal, and you two had to go and ruin it! Well it seems to me that the only considerate people here are Roz and Daphne! Hey, where is Daphne anyway?"

Everyone looked around as though suddenly aware of her absence.

"I'll see what's keeping her." Roz said. But before she could stand, Niles was gesturing for her to stay seated.

"No Roz, I'll go."

"Niles-."

Against Frasier's protests, Niles headed into the kitchen pausing when he heard a soft noise.

"Daphne, is there anything I can help you with? I was-."

She turned to him and sniffled, brushing away a tear. Almost immediately he moved closer. "What's wrong?"

She smiled, grateful for the handkerchief he handed her from his back pocket.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Crane. I don't mean to be crying like this!" She said tearfully.

Her sadness made him sigh. "Damn! I told him!"

"Told _who what_?"

"Dad. I told him to stop making comments about your cooking!"

"It's not that. I guess I'm still a bit upset about me hair. I know it's silly, crying over such nonsense. I mean, I never actually told anyone I was getting me hair cut so I don't know why I expected you or anyone to notice."

"You're beautiful Daphne."

She looked up in surprise. "What?"

He swallowed hard, trying to control his nervousness. "I... Well, I mean... you're beautiful, no matter what kind of haircut you have."

She smiled and hugged him warmly. "Thank you, Dr. Crane. That's so sweet."

All too soon, he released her and she found that she missed the warmth of his touch.

"You'd better get back in there. Your brother's going to wonder what happened to you. I'll be right there."

But when he turned to go back into the living room, he could hear her sniffling once more and a soft sob escaped.

Something was definitely wrong.

Again he turned and went to her, drawing her into his arms. "Daphne, what is it? I know it can't be because of your hair or because of what Dad said about your cooking. Something is hurting you."

A deep, broken sigh escaped her and she clung to him, sniffling as the tears continued to fall. "It's silly."

"It's not silly. I can't stand to see you hurting like this. If it's something serious I promise I'll never tell another soul. You have my word."

She smiled through her tears and touched his cheek, causing him to shiver. "I was just thinking about earlier... When we were all pouring out our sorrows. Your brother missing Freddie, your father missing your mother, you, separated from your wife. It's just that... you've all had someone who loved you and I'm afraid-."

Her words surprised him. "Afraid of what?"

Again she sniffled. "I'm afraid that no one will ever love me, Dr. Crane! I know it's ridiculous but me mum always says that I'm not getting any younger and she's right! So I keep looking, accepting a date with any man who will go out with me, but the more I look, the harder it seems to get! Am I really _that_ awful?"

His heart pained and he held her even closer, resting his cheek in her hair. "No, Daphne. You're not awful at all. You're wonderful. And please... don't ever think that no one loves you because it's simply not true. I..."

Slowly she raised her head. "What are you saying?"

"Well, what I'm trying to say... very badly actually... Is that... I love you, Daphne. And I don't mean in a family sort of way, the way Dad and Frasier do. I-."

But as he looked into her eyes, he didn't dare speak another word. Instead he brushed the hair from her face and kissed the tears from her cheeks, her chin and finally her mouth.

The kiss was brief, but oh so sweet, and he had no idea that her lips would be so soft, or that he'd feel the way he was feeling. But there was no denying that he loved her more than he thought possible.

She took his hand and squeezed gently.

"Dr. Crane, I... I don't know what to say. I mean, you're me friend and-."

"I know. And I don't expect you to say anything, Daphne. I just hate to see you hurting, thinking something that isn't true. I do love you, but I'm willing to wait for you... forever if that's what it takes. And if it never happens between us..."

"I don't know how to thank you for this. I think we should get to know each other like this a little better but I think we might happen sooner than either of us realizes. But I just need a little time."

His heart swelled with love for her and he moved to kiss her again. "Oh, Daphne..."

But he instantly drew back, as though he'd done something wrong. "I'm sorry, I-."

She ran her hand through his hair and then cradling the back of his head, gently drew his lips toward hers to kiss him. "Don't be. I do care about you, so much Dr. Crane. You're me best friend. And I'm so sorry you're hurting because of your separation. If you need me for anything, I'll always be here for you."

This time it was Niles who had tears in his eyes. "Thank you." He whispered hoarsely.

She smiled and hugged him once more, kissing his cheek as she took his hand.

"Now... I believe there is some ice cream cookies and milk waiting for us."

And as they returned to the living room, their fingers entwined, Niles smiled at Eddie who lay on the floor playing with his doll.

He really should find a way to thank the little guy some day.

**THE END  
**


End file.
